A King's Journey
by J-Nine
Summary: Its The Lion King, Crimson's style! Inuyashas the next chosen king of the Kingdom of Dog, but there are certain people out there who will do anything to make sure that doesnt happen. First chapters are of his childhood! Its good, I swear! Revamping of cha
1. Anticipation

_A Kings Journey_

**IF YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING INTO, GO TO MY PROFILE AND READ THE FULL SUMMARY! **

**AN:** Alrighty, this would be my…6th(?) try at a story…haha, I'm not even sure how many I've started. (Never finished. --) Lately I have found myself making Inuyasha renditions of Disney movies for some reason, first _Mulan_ and Now _The Lion King_, XD yes that's right, this is a Lion King story! But with these things I usually try to make them my own, so you don't have to worry about it being too, and I stress the too, cliché'd.

**Ch. 1: The Day of Anticipation**

_The day had finally arrived, the day that was so anticipated by common and noble folk alike. The day that had the entirety of the Kingdom of Dog in an uproar of excitement. _

"_What in the world is the Kingdom of Dog?" you are probably wondering, basically it is one of the four great kingdoms which make up the country of Shikon (or four souls. XD) Each respective kingdom is governed and protected by a royal family of demons, each chosen when the country was first created, as the strongest, and most worthy to be the rulers of their kingdoms. _

_To the North was the Kingdom of Dragon, ruled by the great Dragon Clan, known far and wide for being the greatest magic users the country had ever seen, not to mention being plain ol' powerful. _

_To the South, the Kingdom of Bird, ruled by a Family of Demon Hawks, the great hunters of the airways, and known for having the best eyesight by far out of all the demon rulers. _

_To the East, the Kingdom of Cat, governed by the demon Tigers. This kingdom is actually rather isolated from the others, not being too fond of them from the very start. They had it in their heads that they were better then the other Kingdoms, and should be the true rulers of the entire country. _

_They had a particular grudge against the Country of Dog, where on this day, a great celebration was to take place. This country was known for its loyal warriors, and amazing leadership of their demon Lord. It was common knowledge among the whole country that this Kingdom was also the most prosperous, and definitely most cheerful, and for good reason too. Their ruler was the kindest out of all of them, generous by nature, yet very protective and loyal. Some called him and his family the perfect Lords, and that wasn't too far from the truth._

_But back to the previous train of story, the day everyone had been waiting for. After nine long months since the wonderful news had been announced, it had finally come. The Kings wife was expecting her son, the next chosen King, on this day. _

_But although this was the Queens first child, it was not the Kings, for he had been previously married, to another mighty Dog demon, a fierce warrior in battle, and the previous Queen of the Kingdom of Dog. She also, had bared the King a son, his first, whom he named Sesshoumaru. But it was only four years after his birth that she had been killed in a battle with the Kingdom of Cat, to the great sorrow of the King and his kingdom. _

_And now you must be wondering, why is this Sesshoumaru not the next chosen King? He was the first wasn't he? Indeed the young Sesshoumaru had been the first born, but he was not the one destined to be the King. For even when he was a youngster, he had the coldest air about him, and would rarely show any feelings at all. Some believed it was because he had a ferocious demon warrior for a mother, but none were certain. But all in all, the great Inutaisho found him not to be of Kingly material, (though he would be made commanding General of his armies once he was old enough.) and thus, searched for a new wife to bare him a son. _

_And he found that, and the greatest love of his life, in the young maiden, Izayoi. She was a human of humbler origins than his own, only being the daughter of one of the district lords in the kingdom. But from the moment he spoke to her, she had captivated him, she had evoked within him a feeling that none had ever before. Not even his late wife, although he had cared for her dearly, had been able to make him feel this way. Izayoi brought out the child in him, made him laugh, and warmed his heart to the point where it felt as though it were going to melt. _

_Indeed their love had been greatly admired, as well as disapproved. They had said that she was a human, and could not provide a strong enough heir, but the King had merely brushed them off, saying that the child would be more than strong enough. _

_And so the joyous day had finally come (as we have said many times by now) and the King and his right hand man could be found pacing in front of the door to the delivery chambers, the previous mentioned obviously the more distressed of the two._

"Inu, you are going to wear a groove into the floor with all that pacing." The Kings right hand man and best friend of many years said from his seat on a chair to the right of the door. He was the head of the kingdoms clan of holy men and women, and had known the King since he was a teenager himself. The King of course had still been many years older than him, (though didn't look it) but still found in the priest a trustworthy friend, the greatest he had ever come by.

He was a tall and handsome man, with a full head of raven black hair, pulled into a tight and neat ponytail that fell down his back to his waist with bangs that fell into deep ocean blue eye, making looking into them a fete that was dang near impossible not to do. A real catch for any woman, and the hilarious thing was that he knew it too. Although he had the outer image of a perfect gentleman, he was known for his wandering hands and roaming eyes, in short, he was a perverted scoundrel.

The King stopped pacing for a split second, only to send a glance in the direction of the man, before going back to his brisk pacing. "I told you not to call me that Nakao." He said, referring to the nickname by which the priest had called him. But the man simply chuckled and brushed it off, leaning back in his chair, and placing his arms behind his head in an attempt to get comfortable. "Well still, you shouldn't worry yourself so much; you'll be completely worn out before the banquet tomorrow night. And you know you will have to be on your toes for that, the three other Kings and their courts are attending after all."

Inutaisho stopped again, thought about what his best friend said, before silently, and grudgingly agreeing and taking a seat next to him. "I suppose you're right…but what if something happens?" and he was up on his feet again in a flash, much to the frustration of his dark haired friend. "What if she looses too much blood? You know I heard of that happening, what if it happens to her?"

The distressed Lord then suddenly stopped in front of the large cherry wood double doors, a determined look on his face. "That's it! I'm going in there!" He made a move to throw open the doors, but was stopped when Nakao threw himself in front of him and pushed him back, something nobody other than him or Izayoi could get away with doing. (Surprising strength for a human. XD)

"No Inu! You can't go in there! You know how you get when you see her in pain! You nearly threw a guard out of a window when she pricked her finger on one of the thorny rose bouquets in the halls!"

He put a fist on his hip and used his other hand to point an accusatory finger at the King. "Child birth is the greatest pain any woman could ever go through," at that point he quickly muttered something about how grateful he was that only women had to go through it. "Only heaven knows what you would do if you saw her in such a condition."

For a second the King had an enraged look on his face, how dare he accuse him, the KING, of not being able to control himself! But Nakao cut off any retort he was going to make, "And don't try to say otherwise! Or do I have to bring up a certain tea incident?"

Intaisho's previous look of immense anger quickly transformed into one of immense embarrassment, and he leapt forward and clamped a hand over the mans mouth. "I told you that was never to be brought up!" Nakao simply smiled under his hand in a way that said 'You know I know you better than you know yourself.'

The King sighed and let go of the priest, taking his previous seat with a grunt. "Fine you win." Nakao sat next to with the same stupid smile on his face.

"But you know I AM right, I was there when my son was born last year." He crossed his arms with a heavy sigh, "And I will tell you, there are no screams, whether on a battlefield, or in a torture chamber, that sound as horrific as the ones of a woman in labor."

Inutaisho mimicked his pose, "How is that boy anyway? Do you plan on putting him through training as well?" he asked Nakao, referring to the training of a priest, long and hard training. Nakao nodded his head, a bit more enthusiastically then Inutaisho had expected. "I sure do, I'm going to give them to Miroku myself."

Just then, a shrill cry broke the stillness of the halls, and the two noblemen looked up simultaneously at the large doors, where the cries were coming from. No sooner had Inutaisho stood up to charge in demanding what was wrong when the doors were thrown open by the head doctor. "Congratulations sire! You are now the father of a healthy baby prince!" he said with a rather large and proud grin, for having just delivered the next king of their land. The doctor swept to the side in a respectful bow, swinging his arms with a flourish to allow the King inside. Inutaisho didn't waste any time with hesitation, and nearly ran into the room, Nakao at his heals.

The baby was just being brought back in from being cleaned, and was now being deposited in the arms of Queen Izayoi, when Inutaisho and Nakao reached the large bed. Without second thought, the King swept back his large flowing cape of fur to kneel next to his love and newborn child, a remarkably soft and gentle look on his face.

Nakao gaped in silent awe, for even in as long as he knew the King; he hadn't seen him look so…kind. True, it was known the King Inutaisho was the most lenient and forgiving of all the rulers, but he was still a very strict and forceful one. But at this very moment, Nakao could swear that he was looking at a different demon.

"My love, how are you feeling?" was the first thing the King spoke, always making sure his wife was safe and unharmed before anything else.

The Queen smiled, extreme exhaustion showing on her lovely, though sweaty features. Her hair was a mess, and one could swear she had just come out of a boiler by how red her skin was, but the King thought to himself that she never looked more beautiful.

"I feel wonderful…this…" she looked down at her newborn son, who looked back at her with large, slightly cloudy eyes, eyes with the same golden hue as that of the King. "This is the most amazing feeling. I never thought there could be such a thing so wonderful." She was referring to the sensation one receives when holding their newborn child. A wonderful feeling one gets, when knowing that the baby you hold in your arms is something that you had made, along with your lifelong mate.

The king smiled and reached over to stroke the baby's head, with a gentleness that even he did not know he possessed. "Do you want to hold him?" Inutaisho was surprised by the sudden request, and looked at his wife wish shocked confusion. "Me?" he asked stupidly, which made Izayoi chuckle, albeit weakly.

"Of course you, I would ask Nakao if he would like to, but I think he would agree with me that you should get to first." She looked at the Kings right hand man at that, who smiled and nodded with agreement. "Of course, I would never dream of accepting something as honorable as that before the father were to get his chance." He laughed and slapped the king on the back, something else only he and his wife could do and not get thrown out a window for.

With an uncertain look on his face, Inutaisho nodded his head, and opened his arms to hold the child that his wife was presenting to him.

Nakao chuckled softly to himself, "I've never seen you look so scared your Highness." But the King paid no mind as he looked down at the face of his son, making note of the tuft of already thick white hair on his head, smiling with pride.

But then he caught sight of his large claws, which were right behind the baby's head, holding it up with no effort at all, and he started to think. He had never held a baby before, not even when Sesshoumaru had been born; his wife at the time would not let him. Being of Dog demon blood, her motherly instincts would kick in whenever someone got too close to her baby before he was old enough to walk.

And now, Inutaisho thought to himself, this was such an odd feeling, holding something so soft and fragile, something that's life could easily be taken with just a swipe of his large claws. For even though the child had demon blood flowing through him, no baby, demon or human, could survive a blow delivered by something as strong as he.

The King shuddered at the thought, and subconsciously held his son closer to him, feeling a surge of fatherly protectiveness suddenly rush through him. He would never let such a thing happen to a child of his, he would die himself before letting any harm come to one of his kin.

The soft gurgle of the baby brought the King back to reality, and he was met with the confused and worried faces of his best friend and wife. "Darling, are you alright?" Izayoi asked him, extending her hand, silently asking him to take it.

The King obliged, placing the baby down in her lap, so that they could look at him together. "I'm fine, just thinking. But that aside! What shall we name him?" he went back to softly stroking his sons head, earning giggles of delight from the tiny infant, who tried to catch the ever elusive fingers of his father. Inutaisho laughed softly, and let the baby take hold of his index finger, noting that it took almost both his sons tiny hands to wrap completely around it.

"He has a strong grip…" he said out loud without realizing it.

"Well he is your son after all." Nakao chided up from behind, "And he's the spitting image of you Inu! Though I'm doubtful if that is a good thing or not…" (I am aware that Sesshoumari resembles their father more than Inuyasha does, but for the sake of this story, lets just say Inuyasha resembles his father. ) The priest insulted playfully, earning himself an equally as playful whack in the gut by the Kings free hand, which hurt a lot more than a playful insult. Nakao made this known with a childlike whine. Soon, the two were in what looked like a fight that only occurred between siblings.

Izayoi chuckled softly at their antics, always finding it wonderfully entertaining when the two were together. They acted exactly as two brothers would, always insulting and playfully hurting each other, but still in the end, they were as loyal to each other as any blood relatives she knew. It was one of the most endearing relationships Izayoi had ever seen, even though it was only between two friends.

"Now now children, settle down." She scolded playfully, "We have more important matters at hand, like naming this child before he becomes forever known as the nameless prince." She finished with a chuckle. The two men obeyed, taking up their formers positions, Inutaisho kneeled next to the bed, and Nakao standing behind him.

"Why don't you name him Lucky?" Nakao spoke up, again playing around. The King was about to turn around and whop him upside the head, but the gentle squeeze of his wife's hand on his arms stopped him.

"Thank you for your input Nakao, but I don't think I would like to call my son Lucky." The Queen chuckled, "I would feel as if I were calling a pet dog every time!" that aroused a round of laughter from the two men, as they thought about the Queen of their Kingdom calling for her son, but getting a dog coming to her instead.

Izayoi thought about it for a while, before turning to her husband. "Why don't we call him Inuyasha?" Inutaisho looked at her with wide eyes for a moment, such a name was rather blunt and to the point. But after thinking on it, and looking at his son, who was now trying to rip the cloth that encircled him with great effort, he decided that no other name would be better suited for such a fiery spirit.

"That's a perfect name." he said, taking up his son and un-wrapping him, before holding him up in the air, in all his naked baby glory. "My son, Inuyasha, you are a Dog demon, and so you shall be named." His son looked at him in adorable confusion, tilting his head to the side in puppy fashion. Izayoi smiled fondly from the bed, before finally letting herself drift off into the world of slumber.

Nakao stepped up beside Inutaisho, and looked up at the baby boy in the air. "Hmm, for a baby, he has a rather large-" whatever he was about to say had been abruptly cut off by the Kings fist making contact with his head.

"YOW! What in the world was that for?" Nakao whined, rubbing his poor abused cranium.

"For being the worst priest I've ever met!" the King replied angrily, holding his son to his chest.

From outside the door, a pair of golden eyes peered into the room with mild interest, masterfully hidden by a mask of indifference. Inutaisho caught wind of the person, and started to turn in the direction of the door.

"Sesshoumaru, come meet your new little brother!" the King called before having even turned completely around. Said boy of only eleven years entered the room without hesitation, not having the gall to defy his almighty father. (How sweet, he's a daddy's boy! XD)

He arrived beside his father and Nakao, and peered at them with that same mask of indifference, making the priest shudder involuntarily. Even if he was only a child, Sesshoumaru could sure put a cold damper on any joyous occasion, but the King didn't seem to notice, probably already used to the boy's cold nature by now.

Inutaisho knelt down before his first born son and held Inuyasha just far out enough so he could see. The gazes of two princes met at that moment, though they couldn't have been any more different. One was warm and innocent, curious with everything around it. The other was cold and stony, showing no sign of affection for what it looked at.

Inuyasha laughed with innocent happiness, and extended his arms, wanting to be held by this newcomer. Sesshoumaru's face turned to one of mild shock, not expecting the baby to do that. Inutaisho and Nakao laughed heartily, "It seems your little brother has already taken a liking to you my boy!" the King said before unceremoniously plopping the baby in his older sons arms, which were a bit stiff, not expecting that either. Sesshoumaru looked down at the son of his father's wife, making a note of every detail.

"He smells funny…" he said softly, making the two men laugh again. Inutaisho spoke up at that, "Well he was just born; I suppose he would smell a bit odd at first." But Sesshoumaru shook his head, that wasn't what he had meant. "Not that, something deeper, his scent is weird." At that, Inutaisho and Nakao's faces turned a tad more serious, and the King placed one of his large hands on Sesshoumarus shoulder, making the boy look up at him.

"That is because your brother is different from you and I, and from your mother and Nakao here." He said with a nod back at the priest. "He's half human, and half demon, a mix that is rarely heard of today." Inutaisho explained to his son, but he found it rather hard, for he knew how half demons were treated, when they WERE born. "He's going to be treated differently than you Sesshoumaru, demons and humans alike will find him detestable, and they will hate him...even if he is a prince, and the next king of this land. Not all of them will, but still."

Sesshoumaru looked slightly confused. "Couldn't you just kill whoever hates him?" he asked in an innocent, yet not, way.

Inutaisho just sighed and shook his head. "No my son, I cannot do that, it would be wrong to do so. I cannot change the way people feel, nor can I do anything simply because they do not like my son. Unless they take action, all I can do is watch, and protect him…" he looked back up at Sesshoumaru, "But, Sesshoumaru, I will ask that you as well, will protect your younger brother. In time, he will be able to watch after himself, but for now," he took Inuyasha from Sesshoumarus arms, prying the baby's fingers from the older boy's hair. "I will need your help, for I won't always be there, nor will your mother." Sesshoumaru looked down at his feet, bare for the entire world to see.

Nakao then stepped forward. "Until he is old enough to learn to protect himself, you will have to do it for him. There are many out there who wish for your brother's demise, some who would go to any lengths to make it happen." Sesshoumaru looked up at the two men, his mask slipping away a little, to show a small speck of determination.

"What's his name?" he asked softly, coming closer to his father to look at his baby brother again. Inutaisho smiled softly again, wrapping his soft cloak around the baby, when he saw Inuyasha shiver slightly.

"His name is Inuyasha." Inutaisho answered with a smile.

Sesshoumaru looked up at his father, then back at Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha…"

**AN: **Wee! First chapter hot off the file! What do you think? Is it good? Good enough to continue? **_REVIEW AND TELL ME! _**I know Sesshoumaru is a bit out of character, what with not hating his little brother right off the bat, but in this story I don't intend for Sesshoumaru to hate him, at least not at first. At first he shall do as his father asked, and be a good older brother, and will even like Inuyasha after a while. Miroku, Kagome and Sango will be coming in later, after everyone does some growing up! Until next time, I bid thee a farewell! --Pulls black cape over face and jumps over side of banister--

_FLOMP_ –A three foot high banister--


	2. Surprises!

_A Kings Journey_

**AN: Welp, not many reviews, only one. T--T O well, I suppose a review is a review. **

**Disclaimer: **I had forgotten to do this last chapter, so here I go! I do not own Inuyasha or The Lion King; no way would I be so creative! But I own the original characters in here such as Nakao (he's only semi-original, since he's mentioned in the anime, but what the heck ever! He's only mentioned, not named nor described! --hmphs--) and any others I may put in later. Story line is also mine, NO TAKING! (Of story or original characters.)

**Ch. 2: Surprises**

"InuyaSHAAAAAAA!"

Some people would be alarmed if they were to hear such an enormous yell, no matter where it came from. But in the Kingdom of Dog, this was a daily occurrence.

The market place right outside the palace gates hustled and bustled with the everyday sounds and smells. People bargaining, children laughing, food being cooked and sold. But one of the more unusual happenings was about to take place, though not to the surprise of the villagers.

"INUYASHA! Get back here you little mutt!" could be heard all through the town as a tall, handsome young man with long silver-white hair chased a smaller, cuter boy who also had long silver-white hair. These two were none other than the two sons of King Inutaisho and Queen Izayoi, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha.

Everyday Inuyasha would do something to rile up the older boy, be it pour honey on his toes while he's sleeping, or steal his robes while he's bathing. Needless to say the younger prince was quite the mischievous little runt.

"There they go again." Said a villager, taking a break in his bargaining with a shop owner to look out the window to watch the chase scene. The shop owner laughed heartily when he saw what it was the young prince had done today to anger the older one, and stuck his head out the same window. "A wonderful job today Master Inuyasha!" he shouted after the two boys, knowing they could hear him easily. He quickly ducked back into his shop when he got an icy glare from Sesshoumaru, a warning that although he wouldn't stop, he would certainly do something.

But indeed, it was ingenious, what Inuyasha had done to his brother this day. While Sesshoumaru lay asleep in his bed that morning, the small boy snuck into the room and set to work.

The product of his work? An extremely feminine Sesshoumaru.

The boy had tied ribbons of various colors into the long mane of his brother, all of which he stole from the palace seamstress. He had also taken some of his mother's makeup, the brightest of the bunch, and applied it to Sesshoumaru so that he looked like a true woman. The young prince had an odd taste for art, though the colors were still extreme.

Sesshoumaru's face, adorned in the bright makeup, was twisted into a scowl as he chased his little brother through the streets of the market. "When I get you, you're DEAD!" Inuyasha only laughed at his brothers heartless threats. "Yeah right! That's what you said yesterday PUFF!" He called the older boy by his chosen nickname, one which he never got away with saying in public.

Everyday Sesshoumaru said the same thing, "You're dead." And everyday, after a good chase, the only thing he did was give the little boy the worst noogie session of his life, which grew worse everyday. Inuyasha knew, better than anyone, that Sesshoumaru didn't have it in him to seriously hurt his little brother, and although he took advantage of that, he was also secretly happy about it.

True, anyone would be happy if the Great Sesshoumaru didn't want to hurt them, but to Inuyasha, it was different. His big brother treated him special. Sesshoumaru was the only person who would give him a noogie, and Inuyasha, the only person who Sesshoumaru would give a noogie to. Although they masterfully disguised they're great care for one another with brotherly feuds and romps, they still had a relationship that was among the greatest of the era.

Brotherly love.

Indeed it was a marvelous thing, and one of the most cherished things in Inuyasha's little heart, as well as Sesshoumaru's, but at the moment, it was the last thing that was on the older boys mind.

Sesshoumaru's scowl deepened and he quickened his run, catching up to his little brother every second. "Yeah well its different today runt! And I told you not to call me that!" Inuyasha turned around in his sprint, not alarmed that his brother was catching up, and stuck his hand up in his face, making the disrespectful sign where your thumb lifts your nose and you wiggle your four fingers. "NYAH!" with that he spun back around and made a jump onto the roof of a nearby building.

"You little-!" without another moments hesitation, Sesshoumaru jumped after him, weaving and dodging the clothes and beddings that were hung up on the roofs. They leapt from building to building, leaping four foot gaps every few seconds. Sesshoumaru had to marvel at how his little brother could run and jump so well at such a young age, he was only seven years old after all. 'Then again, he did have the best teacher.' He thought with a smirk.

It had been seven years since the day his father had told him that he would be his brothers protector, he hadn't taken it very seriously back then, but now he saw it as his sworn duty, at least until Inuyasha could take care of himself. But after a few years or so, Inutaisho had given the job of training the boy to him as well, because he himself wouldn't be able to with the uprising of the East.

Not too long after Inuyasha had been born, an assassin had been sent to the west, intending to kidnap and kill the new born prince. The killer had gotten as far as the palace gates with the prince before the King had caught him and slain him on sight.

After that incident, a war had been declared between the East and West, they had become sworn enemies from that day forward. And so, because the war took up most of his time, the King never had any chances to train his youngest son himself, and thus left the that responsibility to his eldest. It was just as good, Sesshoumaru had been taught a lot, and was still learning, but even at the time he was already an amazing fighter, able to take the middle ranked soldiers in the Kings army.

The last seven years had served as a bridge between the brothers, something that held them both together. Because Sesshoumaru had been forced to teach the runt, he had grown to like him and gradually felt a sense of protectiveness grown within him for the boy. There were many times, while his father was away, that he had to protect his little brother from a stray attack of the enemy. How they had ever gotten into the town, or knew the precise time to hit, he would never know, but nevertheless, Sesshoumaru had saved Inuyasha's life on more than one occasion.

Sesshoumaru had to admit, he was proud of how quickly his little brother was learning, it made him feel good to know he was making a difference for him.

Without realizing it, a smile was beginning to creep onto Sesshoumaru's normally stoic face (in this case, angry. XD) but he quickly caught himself and slapped it off, returning to his scowl. He had had enough of chasing the boy; it had already gone longer than it usually did.

With a final over the head leap, Sesshoumaru landed in front of his renegade brother and caught him in a strangle hug when he couldn't stop himself. "Gotcha!" he declared. Inuyasha squirmed and kicked, though never once aiming to kick Sesshoumaru. "Augh! Lemme go lemme go! Not another noogie!" he yelled.

Sesshoumaru cackled with false sadism, "You should have thought about that before you put all this junk on me!" before Inuyasha could utter another word, he found himself in a headlock, getting the life noogied out of him. "Auuuuuuuuugh! Get off me!"

Sesshoumaru let a true bark of laughter erupt from his throat, and tossed Inuyasha over his shoulder. "Now then, were going home to get started on your lesson, after I get all this crap off." Inuyasha let a loud sigh of protest out, and started squirming and kicking all over again. "I don't want to practice today! Cant we just play?" he made an attempt to turn around on his brothers shoulder to give him his infamous puppy dog pout, but only got the back of his brothers ribbon clad head, which shook in a negative. "No way, you've already skipped yesterdays because it took me forever to get all that paint off." He sent a playful glare at Inuyasha at that, thinking back to the boy's choice of prank the day before.

Inuyasha chuckled nervously and took to looking at the ground while Sesshoumaru made their way back to the palace. "By the way," Sesshoumaru spoke up again, "You know I'm going to drill you extra hard for this stunt." He ripped a couple of the ribbons out of his hair while he said this, making sure to keep a firm grip on the boy over his shoulder. Inuyasha sighed in exasperation and completely slumped on Sesshoumaru's shoulder. 'Why did I have to end up with a drill sergeant for a brother?'

…………One hour later…………..

After getting back to the palace and making sure he was completely free of ribbons and face paint, as he liked to call the awful makeup women wore, Sesshoumaru stalked up to Inuyashas chambers and rapped roughly on the door.

"Alright runt! Time for your practice!" he yelled at the double oak doors. He couldn't hear anything from inside the doors, not even the sound of rustling material. Sesshoumaru creased his brow in irritation and grabbed the handle of the door, moving to barge into the room for the boy. But the door was locked, only adding to his irritation. "Inuyasha open this door before I break it down!" he yelled again, feeling like he was a father calling to his delinquent son. And again, he heard nothing.

With a sigh of immense annoyance, Sesshoumaru stepped back a few paces, getting ready to ram the door through. Although he was a demon and could easily pull the doors off their hinges, he didn't want to ruin them. Simply plowing through them could do just fine.

He silently counted to three and charged at the door. But then at the very last moment, the doors were thrown open and the demon prince found himself falling unceremoniously and extremely ungracefully onto his face. It was incredibly surprising to find the Great Sesshoumaru any lower to the ground then a kneel.

Choruses of laughter rung behind the prince, he shot up and around to chew out the perpetrators, already knowing who they were. And there he was met with the already familiar face of his little brother, doubled over in side-splitting cackles, and across from him, on the left side of the doors, was his little fiend of a friend, the priest in training, Miroku.

Sesshoumaru's brow twitched, and his fists clenched. "How did you get in here rat?" he ground out, referring to the black haired boy. Said boy looked up, knowing Sesshoumaru meant him. His laughter died away just a tad on his lips. "The way I always do Puff, through the window." Sesshoumaru let the Puff remark slip this one time, favoring to look at said windows. He lowered his brow and turned back to the eight year old boy. "How in the world does a tiny human like you climb up four stories of flat wall?" the boy only chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, telling the older boy he wasn't saying any time soon.

Sesshoumaru sighed and calmly fixed his clothes and straightened his hair, eliciting a few utterances of "He's such a girl." from the two boys, but he paid them no mind. He made his way back to the doors, stopping right outside them. "C'mon runt, time for your lesson." He said with an eerily soft voice. Inuyasha and Miroku both looked at him with he's-up-to-something expressions. "You coming rat?" Sesshoumaru called back, already making his way down the long hallways, lavished in rich colors of red and gold. Miroku shook out of his reverie and nudged Inuyasha, who also shook his head. "I'll come, but I think I'll just watch this time." He said, talking to Sesshoumaru but looking at Inuyasha. His face seemed to say to the boy 'you're crazy if you think I'm gonna go through another session with him.' Inuyasha sighed and trekked sulkily out of the room, followed by his black haired best friend.

Sesshoumaru had already made a pretty big distance between himself and the boys, about two whole stories to be precise. Today was going to be a special lesson, one in which he taught Inuyasha to respect his elders.

The elder prince made his way to the kitchens and opened the door with barely a sound. Almost at once the work within the kitchen stopped and everyone turned to give him a bow of respect, before returning to their work. It was here in the palace that Sesshoumaru got the most respect, for it was here, that everyone knew almost exactly how powerful he could be.

But, Sesshoumaru paid no mind to the chefs and maids, and set to work on finding his item of choice. Once he found it, he smirked to himself and trotted outside to set it up for his revenge.

A few minutes later, Miroku and Inuyasha appeared outside, the latter changed into his training attire, which consisted of a sleeveless cream colored tunic and a pair of baggy black trainer's pants. His feet were bare, as they always were, and his hair was pulled back into a tight braid. Sesshoumaru had also changed, after getting all the ribbons and makeup off him, into a training master's ensemble. The same color as Inuyasha's, but the tunic which he sported had elbow length sleeves instead of none. His hair was also in a braid, and his feet were also bare.

There was no other time where they looked more like brothers.

Miroku stepped to the side of the training yard, taking up a seat under a nice shady tree. There was no way he was going to get suckered into training with Inuyasha this time. Just remembering what Sesshoumaru did to them last time made a shudder run up his spine. All the mud, and all that soot. And there was no way he could forget the leeches. "Auuuhgh." Miroku rubbed his arms desperately.

Sesshoumaru crossed his arms and nodded his head, the ritual signal to tell Inuyasha to come forward. The boy did so, dragging the wooden sword he had brought along with him, the tool he always used during practice. But when he reached his brother, the older boy swooped down and snatched the little sword from Inuyasha's hands. The boy looked at Sesshoumaru with confusion. "What are you doing?" he demanded, trying to get the sword back, but to no avail. Sesshoumaru held the wooden tool above his head, much too far for the little hanyou to reach without climbing on him. "You won't be using this today; I have something a little different planned for you." A tiny smirk snaked onto the demons face. "Instead of battle training," he tossed the sword over his shoulder, aiming right for Miroku, who, after getting over the surprise, caught the sword clumsily. "You're going to go through a little survival training instead."

One of Inuyasha's little eyebrows disappeared above his hair line. "Survival training? What are you talking about Puff?" Inuyasha suddenly found himself being thrown into the brush not too far from where he was standing, right behind Miroku's spot under the tree. Sesshoumaru dusted his hands and straightened up, a slightly perturbed look on his face. "What I'm talking about is, you're going to go into the forest for a couple hours, and try to hide from me, elude my attacks, and when the time comes, find yourself some nourishment."

Inuyasha popped his head out of the bush, plucking twigs and leaves from his hair. "So, basically I'm going to be surviving out there?" Sesshoumaru sighed and nodded his head, "Of course fool, why else would it be called survival training?" Inuyasha chuckled nervously, only now catching the name of the exercise. "But I'm going to be out there by myself? I don't want to go by myself!" Sesshoumaru shrugged his slender shoulders. "I'll be out there you know." Inuyasha shook his head vigorously. "But you're going to be attacking me the whole time! You said so yourself."

Inuyasha hopped out of the bush and turned to his best friend, the famous puppy dog pout in place. "Miroku?" the priest in training took one look at his face before jumping up and taking up a pose of defiance. "No way! No way am I going out there with you, having that guy attacking me the whole time!" he threw his hands around and pointed accusingly at Sesshoumaru. "Last time I trained with you, I had to take bathes in COLD water for a month!" Inuyasha suddenly grabbed a hold of his legs, crocodile tears streaming down his face. "Please Miroku! Don't let me go out there alone with that maniac!" Miroku squirmed and hopped, trying to dislodge the boy from him, but only ended up falling on his rump.

"Uh uh! No way, I am NOT going out there!"

…………Thirty minutes later…………

"How did I end up out here again?"

Miroku trudged along behind his best friend, he had been whining the whole time and it was starting to grind on the other boys nerves. Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched because of his irritation. "Would you stop asking that Miroku? You're just a weak minded fool that's all." Miroku puffed up at the insult and crossed his arms in a huff. "You didn't give me much choice in the matter, you tyrannical…doody head." (Big words for such little boys, no? X3)

Sesshoumaru had sent the pair out into the woods, with only a couple of knives to protect themselves. (In case they were to encounter any REAL danger.) And now they found themselves wandering about, trying to find some water and food. Sesshoumaru kept himself hidden, and neither of the boys could tell where he was, being the master of stealth that Sesshoumaru was. But he always kept an eye on the two, making sure that while he was not attacking them, nothing else did either.

Finally after ten more minutes of searching, the boys came across a little stream, and a couple bushes of black berries. "Ooo! I love black berries!" Miroku exclaimed and nearly dove into one of the bushes. Inuyasha shook his head and stalked over to the water, needing to wet his parched throat. He kneeled down and cupped his hands and brought the water up to his dry lips, savoring the taste of the cool liquid.

Sesshoumaru sat in a tree on the other side of the stream, carefully hidden behind the thick branches. He would let them relax for a few minutes before making his move.

"Ah! That feels great!" Inuyasha declared after splashing himself with a little water. Deciding it would be better to feel that more than just his face; the little boy pulled off his tunic and dunked his head into the shallow stream without any hesitation.

Miroku watched him from his spot by the bushes, his mouth full with the sweet, dark berries. "Do you think he's going to come at us any time soon?" the black haired boy asked, popping another berry into his mouth.

Inuyasha pulled his head from the stream and shook it, sending droplets of water everywhere, a few even landing on Miroku, who yelped indignantly. "I don't know." The half demon prince said placing his tunic back on his torso before trekking over to Miroku and taking a seat beside him. "He hides himself so well I can't tell if he's even still out here." He reached over and plucked a berry from Miroku's hands and tossed it into his mouth, earning an annoyed "Hey!" from the other boy. "He could be anywhere right now." Inuyasha said, chewing on the berry thoughtfully.

Suddenly, the ground started shaking with an unimaginable force. The two boys shot up immediately only to be thrown back onto the ground with a particularly sharp jolt. "What's goin on?" Miroku shouted over the sound of the rumbling. Inuyasha's ears swiveled to the right, where he could swear the source of the earthquake was coming from. "Something's coming!" he shouted and pulled Miroku with him back into the forest.

Sesshoumaru sat where he was in the tree before, looking the same direction Inuyasha had detected the sound. The kid had been right, something was coming, something he himself had not planned on. And it didn't feel like something the Great Sesshoumaru could take on by himself. Not wasting anymore time, he bolted off after the two smaller boys, intent on taking them back to safer grounds.

Miroku was running for all he was worth, but Inuyasha, being a hanyou, couldn't go as fast as he normally would because he couldn't leave his best friend behind. "Hurry Miroku!" he could still here whatever it was that was coming, they had gotten further from it, but it was still coming nonetheless. "I'm running as fast as I can!" Miroku shouted back at Inuyasha.

Suddenly, the two felt themselves plucked from the ground, as easy as a little girl plucked a daisy from the ground. They looked up and saw Sesshoumaru there. He had caught up to them and placed them under his arms. They were moving much faster now, the two boys noted to themselves. "Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha exclaimed. "Where did you come from?" the older boy said nothing, only kept his gaze on the path before him, trying to get back to the palace and quick as he could.

Within minutes, he broke through the bushes of the training yard, but didn't stop there. He made a beeline for the back entrance of the palace which led to the grand hall.

Coming to a stop, Sesshoumaru dropped the two boys on the ground and turned to the guards in the hall. "Quickly! Gather all the guards of the palace and head to the back!" the guards wasted no time in questioning the prince, knowing well that when Sesshoumaru raised his voice he was either extremely angry, or extremely anxious. The two dog youkai guards bolted off in separate directions, leaving the threesome alone in the great hall.

Sesshoumaru then started for the large staircase located in the middle of the hall, but was stopped by Inuyasha's shout. "Sesshoumaru! What's going on?" Sesshoumaru didn't turn around to address the boy, and started back up the stairs. "Don't worry about it Inuyasha, just take Miroku home quickly and get back as fast as you can!" and he disappeared behind the curtains of the next hall.

Inuyasha and Miroku both blinked in the empty hall. "It must be big if he actually called us by our names…" Miroku noted. Inuyasha only nodded before pulling Miroku off the ground and started for the front of the palace.

"Let's do what he says Miroku."

……………….

As Sesshoumaru made his way down a dimly lit hallway, a stray thought suddenly crossed his mind. 'I guess I won't be able to teach Inuyasha respect today after all…'

**AN: Haha, I didn't want to end it there but I just…did anyway! XD So, what do you think reader? Getting interested? There's more to come! REVIEW and I shall put up the next chapter. Arigatou minna-san!**

Inuyasha: Why in the heck am I so nice to that bastard? And what the heck is he doing noogieing me?

Sesshoumaru: I concur, what are you doing making this Sesshoumaru treat that little piece of trash so kindly?

Inuyasha: What was that? --Glare--

Sesshoumaru: …. --Glare back--

--Rumble! Cloud of smoke with stray limbs flying out everywhere--

Me: Welp! Until next time folks! --Waves-- Move over guys! --Jumps into ruble--


End file.
